Board-shaped elements that are known from the prior art are designed such that sound waves are not reflected, but contained and absorbed. The sound-absorbing effect is achieved in that the acoustic elements exhibit recesses that allow for the sound waves to enter, whereby the sound energy is destroyed by a damped vibration of the air column in the recess.
It is known to provide these recesses as rectangular cut-outs, for example, with edge lengths in the range of 8 to 10 mm. It is also known to design the recesses as bore holes with diameters of more than 5 mm. Also, board-shaped acoustic elements are known, where webs are combined into a lattice structure and the, for example, square cut-outs are created by the meshes of the lattice structure. The dampening effect can be enhanced by applying a dampening element, for example, a nonwoven to the back side. The acoustic element is then installed such, that the dampening element, which due to its structure contributes to a stronger dampening of the vibrations of the air column in the recess, is mounted in a fashion not visible to the observer on the back of the acoustic element, i.e., for example, if the acoustic element is used as a ceiling tile on the invisible side of the acoustic element that faces the ceiling and faces away from the room.
The disadvantage of the described acoustic elements is that significant workability restrictions emerge due to the size of the recesses. For example, because of the recesses it is no longer possible to position screw connections arbitrarily on the surface of the board. Furthermore, it is no longer possible to make any arbitrary cuts to the board, in particular, for example, when building furniture, the cut edges are to be provided with corresponding facings, so-called edge bands. In practice, it is often necessary to manufacture such acoustic elements already with a view of the subsequent cutting measures, resulting in an increased logistical effort. Also, in practical applications it is often not possible to provide such acoustic elements with fittings, such as handles or hinges, or it may not be possible to provide in the desired form, or to process them in the same manner as solid boards.